Water receptacles, such as bathtubs, generally include a drain port located at their lowermost point. The drain port feeds waste water to a drain pipe and accommodates a strainer that prevents items from entering the drain pipe. Thus, a “strainer” as understood by one of skill in the art, is a fitting located in the bottom of a sink, bathtub, or the like (hereinafter “bathtub”) that is interconnected to the drain pipe. Commonly, a strainer includes a cylindrical body portion with external threads that engage corresponding threads of the drain port and/or the drain pipe. Strainers also include a flange extending from an upper end of the strainer body that engages the bottom surface of the bathtub. The bottom surface of some bathtubs have an indentation that receives the flange so that the top surface of the flange is generally flush with the bottom surface of the bathtub. Many strainer bodies accommodate drain closure valves that selectively control the flow of water out of the bathtub. The closure valve is often interconnected to the strainer by way of a carrier that extends upwardly from a hub located within the strainer body. The distance between the flange and the hub varies depending on the type of strainer body and closure valve employed.
Strainer flanges may become outdated, damaged, or marred. In addition, individuals may simply wish to change the look and feel of their bathroom by changing the plumbing fixtures. For example, one may wish to replace brushed-nickel fixtures to brass fixtures. Replacement, however, is often very difficult because the strainer must be disconnected from the drain pipe, which is difficult to access because it is often located beneath the floor to which the bathtub is interconnected. Further, the threads of the replacement strainer may not be compatible with the threads of the drain port and/or drain pipe.
Wastewater strainers are presently concealed by devices that are glued to or otherwise interconnected to the wastewater strainer or the flange thereof. That is, instead of replacing the wastewater strainer, a concealing member of the intended finish is placed on the flange of the existing strainer. For example, attention is directed to Applicant's Nufit™ device, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,931, that employs a flange that is glued onto the strainer flange. The Nufit™ flange includes a downwardly-extending outer lip that engages an outer edge of the wastewater strainer flange that, alone or in concert with other features, helps maintain radial position of the Nufit™ device in relation to the strainer body. The Nufit™ device also employs a cylindrical portion that is placed within the strainer body.
Another concealing device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,083 (the “'083 patent”) that is similar to that of the Nufit™ device wherein a flange is provided with a cylindrical portion extending therefrom. The cylindrical portion also includes at least one groove for receiving an o-ring seal that engages the strainer body to maintain the position of the concealing device. The o-ring seal helps align the opening of the strainer and the concealing device. It should be noted that the device of the '083 patent contemplates a system wherein no adhesives are used. The outer edge of the '083 device may also include a downwardly extending outer lip for engaging the outer edge of the waste water flange similar to that described above.
One drawback of the prior art concealing devices is that the downwardly-extending cylindrical portion often employed may interfere with internal components of the strainer body which can potentially prevent engagement of the concealing device onto the strainer flange. Additionally, strainer bodies usually possess spokes or cross members that accommodate the hub that holds the closure valve carrier that could interfere with the proper placement of the concealing device. Further, there are a multitude of strainer manufacturers, each with different designs, sizes, features, etc., which makes integrating a concealing device difficult. In addition, manufacturers may, over time, modify designs such that retrofitting existing strainers may prove problematic. The interference between the concealing device and the strainer frustrates consumers and forces them to either alter the cylindrical portion of the concealing device, i.e., trim it, or to purchase a new one. As trivial as this may at first appear, the practical consequences of such difficulties has serious financial implications. For example, a $500 per night hotel room may remain vacant simply due to the inability to conceal damaged bathtub fixtures. The foreseeable cost caused by the failure to have a straightforward “one size fits all” solution is enormous and orders of magnitude above the cost of the product itself
Drain valves commonly comprise a cap with an interconnected seal. The cap and seal are sometimes interconnected to a downwardly-extending post that slidingly engages an upwardly-extending carrier that is interconnected to the hub of a strainer body. Operation of this type of drain valve comprises pulling the cap upwardly which removes the seal from the strainer body flange. To close the drain valve, the cap is pushed downwardly to engage the seal onto the strainer body flange. Some drain valves also include posts/carriers that include or receive selectively-deflectable pins or seals, for example, to maintain the open position of the cap. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,570, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Other drain valves of this type have a post with a groove that receives a complimentary portion of the carrier, or vice versa. To maintain the drain stopper in an open configuration, the cap must be twisted or turned about the longitudinal axis of the post which seats the complimentary portion in the groove in such a way to prevent closure of the valve. To close the drain valve, the cap is again turned to unseat the complimentary portion to allow the post to slide relative to the carrier.
One drawback of the drain stoppers of this embodiment is that the post and carrier must extend into the strainer body, which obstructs fluid flow. More relevant, perhaps, is that the post and carrier make retrofitting a new drain valve onto an existing or new strainer body difficult. More specifically, when adding a new drain valve onto an existing or new strainer body, the old drain valve must be removed from the hub, which could damage the hub. Further, the new carrier or post may be too long, too short, or there may be some incompatability between the carrier, post, or hub.
These issues were addressed in the past by providing closure valves that did not require a carrier. More specifically, drain valves that are rotatably interconnected to the edge of a strainer body, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,368, which is incorporated by reference herein, do not extend into the strainer body when the valve is closed. The drawbacks for this type of drain valve are that one needs to put their hand into dirty water to open the valve. Of course, users could use their foot, but the size of these drain valves make it difficult for some users.
Thus, it has been a long felt but unsolved need to provide a drain valve closure that is easy to install and can accommodate various models of wastewater strainer bodies. Further, it is a need to provide a drain valve that is easy to use and access with one's foot.